Joe Rogan Criticizes GOP Opposition to Gay Marriage
Podcaster, who frequently embraces anti-establishment views, calls himself a “bleeding heart liberal” on issue of gay marriage.
Podcaster Joe Rogan pushed back against critics who claim he is a “secret Republican,” making a vigorous defense of gay nuptials and criticizing elected Republicans for voting against a bill to codify the right to same-sex marriage into law.
Rogan made the comments during the July 23 episode of his influential podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Speaking with comedian Andrew Schulz about current events, Rogan brought up the 157 Republicans who voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would require states to recognize same-sex marriages as valid. The bill passed last Thursday, with 47 Republicans voting in favor of the measure.
Rogan criticized opponents of the bill, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who argued on his own podcast that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision knocking down state marriage bans as unconstitutional was “clearly wrong.”
“It’s not just abortion rights, but now they’re going after gay marriage too, which is so strange to me,” Rogan said. “Gay marriage is not silly. It’s marriage — it’s marriage from people that are homosexual and it’s, for them, it’s important. They want it.
“It’s so homophobic,” he added. “Because you’re saying there’s something wrong with being homosexual by saying that you are opposed to gay marriage. You’re saying you’re opposed to gay people.”
Schulz agreed, stating: “If you are gonna say that marriage is an important cultural institution to the fabric of America, you can’t remove it from Americans.”
The two then discussed how marriage impacts benefits the couples can receive, which led to a discussion on why Rogan, who bills himself as a “free thinker,” dislikes being called a “Secret Republican,” or someone who, in actuality, supports Republican talking points and policies but purports not to be a conservative in public.
Some critics have claimed that Rogan’s show — which embraces a skeptical view of center-left ideology and policy stances, especially when it comes to “woke” ideas, identity politics, and political correctness, support for intrusive government regulation, and the pro-corporate stances taken by congressional Democrats — is a stalking horse for conservative libertarian ideology, as the host and many of his guests often lampoon the hypocrisy of the American Left and express contempt for traditional media outlets, who they believe are biased against any ideas that stray from liberal orthodoxy.
As evidence, critics have cited Rogan’s skepticism about COVID-19 and the government restrictions imposed during the pandemic, and transphobic comments he’s made in the past — including that transgender identity is a sign of “civilizations collapsing” — which have caused media watchdog Media Matters for America to condemn the show.
“People will say like, ‘Oh, you know, you’re a secret conservative.’ Like you can suck my dick. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. I’m so far away from being a Republican,” Rogan explained. “Just because I believe in the Second Amendment and just because I support the military and just cause I support police.”
Rogan continued, explaining how he was on governmental programs as a kid, and that many policies Republicans are attempting to repeal, like the legalization of gay marriage, are ridiculous.
“Like I was on welfare as a kid. I think it’s important. I think having a social safety net is crucial. We should help each other. We’re supposed to be one big community. I’m a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to a lot of shit,” Rogan declared.
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